Tuck
by Sarah Haywood
Summary: Peter, a young half-human hoping to become a monk, decides to teach the Phlestrans, the slave labor of his city about the glory of God. But he may not be the one teaching them. They just might teach him something.[MarRob.]


I know, I know. Yet another story when I should be working on my more popular stories.

But this'll be interesting, I promise. Please review too. I like reviews. They make me happy.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Robin Hood, but I seriously own the rights to the idea for this story. This is the first Sci-Fi in the whole fandom [claps hands in joy at being so original!]

Okaaay, if anyone wants to write Sci-Fi, I wanna read it. But I don't want to hear NOTHING about Phlestrans or see anything that copies my precious plotline!!

Ok, rant over. Enjoy!

Oh, and Fluff Club: Chapter One is dedicated to you. Just because I love you. Yep. Lots of love for my Fluffers!

Enjoy!

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"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked the head monk.

"Yes." I said with determination.

The monk leaned up against his chair, sighing, "Pride is a great sin, Peter. I am noticing pride in your voice. This shows that you might not be ready for such a commitment as this."

"I'm ready, sir." I said, trying to sound humble and subservient. "I want to do it."

"Peter..." he said, looking at me, "You are such a success for us. You are the first person of Phlestran blood that we have seen to have a great love of God. We want you to succeed in your Community Service so you can become a Monk, and break out of your status and develop almost the amount of importance as a true human."

"I've done everything, sir." I say, examining my shoes, embarrassed to talk of my low status as a half human. "I've done everything on my way to becoming a Monk."

"Yes, and you've been a victory for us. We've gotten rid of your natural ferocity and instilled you with manageable qualities. We have proved that even a Half-Phlestran can have a soul." Said the monk, smiling encouragingly at me, "And we don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me, sir." I said, then decided to try different tactics, "If I have a soul, don't you think there is a chance that the Phlestrans might have souls too?"

"There is a chance, but..."

"But if they aren't baptized, then they won't have a shot at heaven. I want to teach my fellows the glory of God."

He leaned over his desk and looked me straight in the eyes. "You do whatever your calling tells you to do." He said, "Just don't come crying back to me when the Phlestrans maul you."

I broke out into a huge grin, "Thank you! Thank you so much, sir!"

"Now go." He said, turning to a pile of papers on his desk.

I walk out of his office and down the fifty-six stairs to my pod. Our city is well named The City of Stairs. Our city is the last one on Earth. Most of the human population lives in similar cities on the Moon and on Mars. There are layers in all our cities, all in order of rank. The King and his followers live on the First Layer, the one closest to the earth. They have all the luxuries the cities have to offer and they deserve it too, being chosen by God to be leaders. The Businessmen live on the Second Layer, The Entertainers on the Third. The richer citizens live on the fourth Layer. The Fifth Layer is reserved for Religion, and is the only layer which all citizens have access to. The Sixth Layer is for the poor people, whose Pods are only big enough to fit them lying down. And the Seventh Layer... the Seventh Layer is where the Phlestrans live.

Phlestrans are not human. They were created by scientists to serve as workers for the cities. They can survive intense heat and intense cold, and some even say they have the same mind capacity as humans. As I've never seen another Phlestran, I wouldn't know if they do or not. Phlestrans usually live about thirty years, due to the fact that they begin work at birth and they usually die of exhaustion.

I am the only known half Phlestran in the city. My Mother was human, and my father was Phlestran. They were executed for partaking in a gross abomination; my mother was injected with poison while she slept in her pod, shortly after having me. I don't know what happened to my father, but I can be positive that he's dead. The overseers do not have mercy on rogue Phlestrans.

I was saved by a monk. I was an experiment to find out whether Half-Humans had souls. I have a soul. I am sure of it. And now I will give the blessing of a soul to the Phlestrans.

I must.

It is my calling.

I enter my Pod. It is the lowest Pod in the Religious quarter, excepting the orphans, who won't gain rank in the Religious Layer until they are castrated at age ten.

I shudder, remembering my own castration. Everything happens in our Pods. We eat in our Pods, we play in our Pods, we sleep there, and we even exercise there. On the afternoon of my tenth birthday, I was operated upon in my Pod for the first time. The primary test of our worthiness and faith is our castration. We are to make as little noise as possible when it happens and we are not to show any pain under any circumstances. I made no sound, but I still feel ill with fear and horror remembering that day.

I flop onto my Pod, savoring my last night in the religious quarter before I become a missionary to the savages who live in the Seventh Layer. I program where I want to wake up tomorrow in the overhead computer and wait for clearance from the head monk.

I try to stay awake to feel my pod begin to move downwards, but the Pod knows me too well. It creates the sleep scent that I always fall asleep to, plays soft music, and gently rocks back and forth. Before I know it, I am deeply, deeply asleep.

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Hope you liked it. 

Oh, and if it isn't too much trouble, could you please review. It's okay if you don't, I just love getting feedback. And I'll try and review you if you want... Oh well, just do what you want.

Love and Hugs!

sugarsprite


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